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Egypt Criticized for Deporting Eritreans

by Jarrett Martineau | June 12, 2008 at 04:12 pm | 133 views | add comment | 0 recommendations

Egypt has been strongly criticized by Amnesty International for deporting Eritreans despite UN guidelines that discourage this practice out of concern of "serious human rights violation".

Amnesty International criticized Egypt on Thursday for deporting 200 Eritreans seeking asylum, saying the Africans would be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment at home.

The rights group said Egypt was preparing to deport an additional 1,400 Eritreans, despite UN High Commissioner for Refugees guidelines discouraging the return of asylum seekers to Eritrea because of serious human rights violations.

A senior Egyptian security official tasked with detaining and deporting illegal immigrants confirmed 200 Eritreans were sent home Wednesday but said only 650 remain in custody.

The reason for the discrepancy in numbers could not be immediately explained.